Leadership

We talk a lot about self-awareness in leadership. And rightly so. It’s the cornerstone of emotional intelligence, the root of empathy, the spark of growth. Without it, leaders drift. With it, they navigate. But let’s be honest: being self-aware all the time is utterly exhausting.

We’ve all met a Batman. You know the type, the overworked, emotionally repressed, control-driven “leader” who believes no one can do the...

Many trade association boards find themselves in a similar pattern: engaged, but in the wrong place. The energy they invest in measurement is admirable, but if it comes at the expense of foresight, the organisation is left exposed.

The lesson of the Avengers is that talent is not enough. You can assemble the brightest minds, the biggest reputations, and the most impressive CVs but without trust, accountability, and a shared culture, you don’t have a team. You have a fragile coalition waiting for the next crisis.

Opening a business bank account should be straightforward, yet for many membership bodies, trade associations, charities, clubs, and professional societies it has become anything but. Over the past two years, an increasing number of organisations have reported long delays, outright refusals, or sudden account closures. For bodies whose very survival depends on secure banking facilities, this is more than an inconvenience. It threatens credibility, financial stability, and mem

Princess Leia remains more than a sci-fi heroine. She is a case study in resilience, compassion, decisiveness, and the realities of leading in a complex and often hostile environment.

Delegation is not abdication. It's a discipline of trust, supported by oversight. When done well, it creates space: space for leaders to lead, space for staff to act, and space for the organisation to keep moving no matter who is away. When authority is restricted to one individual however, everyday transactions become dependent on their availability. That might look like control, but in reality it’s a bottleneck. Business continuity falters. What should be routine becomes co

Associations and professional bodies increasingly face the same dynamics. Membership today is borderless, always on, and profoundly portable. For associations and professional bodies, the challenge is to build systems and cultures that reflect this reality, so that no matter where your members are, they feel their community is right there with them.

We’ve just wrapped up our very first Association Transformation Governance as Leadership Retreat , two days immersed in the messy,...

One of the most persistent challenges I encounter in association governance is the member who insists that, by virtue of paying their annual subscription, they are entitled to see everything: board minutes, confidential contracts, draft strategy papers, detailed management accounts, even notes from development meetings.

Membership bodies matter. They represent professions, influence policy, regulate standards, and serve communities. They deserve professional leadership, not amateur compromise. The subconscious assumption that “I’ve done it, so I can run it” might feel comfortable, but it is a false economy which boards and appointments committees must resist. Credibility with members is important, but without leadership capability, it crumbles quickly.

Star Trek Day is upon us, and while some may be celebrating by quoting “Live long and prosper” or revisiting their favourite episodes, I’ve been reflecting on a character who has quietly shaped my own understanding of leadership: Captain Jean-Luc Picard.

Every interaction builds or erodes trust. Every conversation either strengthens a professional relationship or weakens it. The details get forgotten, but the feeling lingers. People remember how you made them feel far longer than they remember what exactly was said. That’s why leaders need to take their own communication so seriously. It’s not about being endlessly polite or sugar-coating everything. It’s about being intentional. It’s about understanding that the how is as im

What does Tony Stark teach about leadership? Not that he is a model to emulate wholesale, but that leadership is inherently messy, contradictory, and human, even in the Marvel Universe.

Shared leadership is not a shortcut to inclusivity. It is a demanding model that requires clarity, trust, and discipline. Done well, it can harness complementary strengths and broaden reach. Done badly, it confuses, divides, and weakens.

I recently completed an Independent Non-Executive Director (iNED) recruitment process for a client. As part of closing the loop, I...

Professional membership bodies exist to uphold high standards, represent their members with integrity, and embody the values of good...

When did membership become a countdown? In many (most?) organisations, belonging is framed as a one-year transaction, neatly packaged...

One of the most common phrases you hear around association and professional body board tables is: “We need to be careful, this is...

If you’ve worked with volunteer Boards of Directors in membership organisations, you’ve probably encountered a certain refrain: “In my...